A disease worth catching
Ben Lee on contagious pop and spreading the wealth
Left of center is the perfect way to describe Ben Lee’s musical style. His syrupy pop — think upbeat tunes such as “Catch My Disease,” from his 2005 “Awake is the New Sleep” — will inevitably get your toes tapping. But others, such as “I Love Pop Music” from his new album, “The Rebirth of Venus,” have a deeper meaning.
Lee’s got what you could call a musical agenda, and it’s for the good of the world. “I Love Pop Music” is definitely a pop song, but listen closely and you catch his simple, straightforward message: “The price of oil is at an all-time high and rising/Global warming threatens life as we know it on this planet.” Not exactly lovey-dovey pop music. But that’s OK with Lee, who’s donating a portion of the proceeds from his latest record to a group called FINCA, whose village banking program Lee ardently supports.
“Initially it came from the idea of doing some sort of charitable work, because it keeps your priorities not about necessarily having a top 10 album,” he says. “It’s just about doing some good with it on a musical level.”
Ben Lee
Tonight, 7 p.m., World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St.
$19, 215-222-1400
www.worldcafelive.com